George L. Pratt, president of the Praft Lumber Company, of Wichita, Kan., was born in New York state. He came to Wichita in 1876 and established the Chicago Lumber Company, Mr. Pratt being the president and managing partner. The business continued under this title until 1896, when it was sold to the Pratt Lumber Company, which was headed by Mr. Pratt as president .and treasurer and T. J. House as secretary. The yards of the company are located at No. 158 North Lawrence avenue. Mr. Pratt is a thirty-third degree Mason. He was the first master of Albert Pike Lodge, No. 303, A. F. & A. M., and is a pastmaster of Wichita Lodge, No. 99, A. F. & A. M. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Page 861)
Will G. Price, president of the Wichita Business College, is a native of Ohio, having been born at Cleveland in 1878. His parents were Edwin F. and Sophia L. (Carnegie) Price. The early education of Mr. Price was obtained at Wichita, Kan., his people moving here in 1879 and settling in Wichita.
The house into which they moved was on the old Indian trail now called Washington avenue, and there were but two habitations east of it, Buffalo Bill's and one on Chisholm creek.
After finishing his education Mr. Price taught for a number of years in the county, graded and high schools of Kansas. In 1901 he, with F. A. Hibarger, acquired an interest in the Wichita Business College, then conducted by Fazel & Adams. In a few years Mr. Fazel's interest was purchased. A little later Mr. Adams sold his one-third, and January 5, 1909, Mr. Price became sole owner. Under his management it has become known as the most thorough, practical business training school in the West, and its enrollment has increased until it is now the largest business college in Kansas and Oklahoma.
This great institution differs widely from the ordinary business college, as its complete diploma courses are arranged so as to graduate better prepared business assistants than any other school in the West. During the year of 1909-10 students from the following states were enrolled: Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, .New Mexico, Colorado, California, Nebraska, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Idaho, Washington, Wisconsin, Michigan and Kansas. Many of these young people held diplomas from other commercial colleges, but desired to benefit by the higher instruction offered in the advanced departments of the Wichita institution. Mr. Price's policy in looking after the interests of his students may be inferred when it is known that all time lost on account of sickness and work is extended; that all tuition is promptly and pleasantly refunded at the end of the first month if the student finds he is not fitted for the work or that the standards of scholarship or deportment are too high for him; and that owing to the splendid reputation enjoyed by the school no difficulty is experienced in finding good positions for its graduates.
Mr. Price's activities have not been confined to his school, as he has devoted considerable time to educational and fraternal organizations in the city. After having been elected as an independent candidate to the board of education, he was compelled to resign before the expiration of his term, when he became sole owner of the Wichita Business College, as the management of the school demanded all of his attention.
In Masonic circles he takes an active part, being the youngest past master of Wichita Lodge, No. 99, A. F. & A. M. He is also a member of the Scottish Rite Consistory, the Eastern Star, Knights of Pythias, and the Chamber of Commerce.
In November, 1910, he was married to Miss Eva M. Price,. daughter of S. R. Price, of Belle Plaine, Kan. While the family name of bride and groom is the same, each belongs to a different branch, the bride being a descendant of the southern Prices of Colonial days, while the groom had three ancestors from the New England states who fought in the Revolutionary War. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 861-862)
Charles E. Rankin, carpenter and contractor, of Cheney, Sedg-wick county, Kansas, was born February 3, 1855, in Bloomington, Ill. He is a son of W. H. and Elizabeth (Goodheart) Rankin. The elder Rankin was a native of Tennessee and his wife a native of Ohio. On the paternal side the ancestry of the family is traced to Scotland and on the maternal to Scotland and Germany. The father of Mrs. Rankin was a soldier under the first Napoleon and participated in the battle of Waterloo. At an early day the father of Charles E. emigrated from Indiana to Illinois and became a. prominent citizen of McLean county. He was a butcher by trade,. and when the Civil War broke out he enlisted in the commissary department as a butcher, whose business it was to supply meat to the government, which he did for some time. He then enlisted in the Ninty-fourth Regiment, Illinois Infantry, Company E, and was detailed as a special wagonmaster, serving about two years. He recruited two companies for the service, in one of which, Company E, he served. He was relieved on account of disability. He then recruited another company and started to the front and remained with this company until 1865, when he was honorably discharged. He then returned to McLean county, where he farmed for about seven years. He then removed to Kansas, locating in Morton township, Sedgwick county, in 1880, and there died in 1883. Charles E. Rankin acquired his education in the public schools of McLean county, Illinois. After leaving school he worked on a farm until the age of twenty-two. Then he was married to Miss S. A. Barnett, of Seabroke, Ill., on December 25,1877. Four children were born of this union, viz.: William H., Myrtle Elizabeth, John A. and Burnice E. After his marriage Mr. Rankin took up a short residence in Sedgwick county, Kansas, and afterwards was for one and one-half years engaged in farming in Cowley county. He returned to Bloomington, Ill.,. in 1880, where he was a stationary engineer for three years. He then returned with his family to Kansas, locating at Cheney, where he followed his trade as a carpenter and contractor, afterwards engaging in the furniture business and conducting a store in Cheney for fourteen years. He then farmed for a short time on a farm near Cheney, which he cleared and improved, moving back to Cheney in 1907. Owing to poor health, Mr. Rankin is not engaged in any other but that of looking after his farming interests in Sedgwick county. Politically, he is a lifelong Republican. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 863)
Frank T. Ransom, cashier of the Union Stock Yards National Bank, of Wichita, Kan., is a native of Missouri, having been born at St. Joseph, that state, on June 25, 1874. His parents were A. Z. and Mary (Brenneman) Ransom, natives of Ohio and Pennsylvania, respectively. A. Z. Ransom was the son of W. Z. Ransom, who was an active figure in the upbuilding of St. Joseph, and had much to do with the building of the first bridge across the Missouri river at that point. He was also one of the first directors of the St. Joseph & Grand Island railroad. The parents of Frank T. Ransom now reside in Denver, Colo. The latter was educated in the public schools of St. Joseph, and was first employed in 1893 by the firm of Tootle, Lemon & Co., bankers, of that city, as a messenger boy. Having prior to that time made a study of geology, he was a short time afterwards appointed assistant state geologist of Missouri, a position he retained for two and a half years, when he entered the banking house of the Union Trust Company, of St. Louis, as passbook clerk. One year later he accepted a position with the Mississippi Valley Trust Company, .of St. Louis, where he remained three years. He then went to the National Stock Yards Bank, of East St. Louis, Ill., where he remained for five years, and up to the time he took charge of the Union Stock Yards National Bank in Wichita, as cashier, in the spring of 1910. Mr. Ransom is well qualified for his position, having had, as vice-president of the National Stock Yards Bank, charge of the country banking division. There were no accounts from banks when he began his work, but at the time he left the bank he had brought the accounts from country banks up to $2,000,000. His experience in stock yards business has brought him in touch with methods of bringing together the buying and selling elements, an important feature he brings to th^, Wichita yards. Mr. Ransom is a member of the Wichita Commercial Club. He was married on December 30, 1902, to Miss Rose Stephenson, of Linneus, Mo. One child has been born from this union, Mary Margaret Ransom. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 863-864)
Virgil A. Reece, cashier of the Goddard State Bank, of Sedgwick county, Kansas, is a native of the Sunflower state, having been born in Sedgwick county on June 24, 1884. His parents were Sylvester C. and Alice L. (Holcomb) Reece, both natives of the state of North Carolina. Sylvester C. Reece now resides in Attica township, Sedgwick county, where he is a large land owner and a pioneer resident of the county. The education of Virgil A. Reece was acquired in the public schools of Sedgwick county, in the Sevic Academy of Wichita, and in the Wichita Business College, where he took a business course. He then became bookkeeper for a large mercantile establishment in Wichita, and in 1907 he was appointed by the board of directors cashier in the Goddard State Bank, the position he now holds. Mr. Reece was married on September 7, 1909, in Clearwater, Kan., to Miss Lila P. Yergler, a daughter of John C. Yergler, deceased. Fraternally he is a member of the Modern Woodmen of America and a Republican in politics. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Page 864)
Arthur B. Reed, of Wichita, Kan., is manager of the James C. Smith Hide Company. The Smith company is incorporated, with headquarters in Chicago, Ohio. Its officers are: "W. H. Richards, president, St. Joseph, Mo.; James C. Smith, vice-president; H. L. Page, treasurer, Topeka, Kan.; George J. Barton, manager, Grand Island, Neb.; H. C. Lyons, manager, Wichita, Kan.; A. B. Reed, manager for wool, tallow, hides, furs and pelts. Mr. Reed became manager of the Wichita office September 1, 1909. The Wichita branch was established on June 1,1904, and, starting with a weekly business of 500 pounds of hides, now has a business of three carloads per week. Mr. Reed was born in Bates county, Missouri, April 15, 1884. He was educated in the public schools of Missouri and Kansas, and began his business career with the Smith company in 1902 at St. Joseph, Mo., and in 1904 was transferred to Wichita and employed as traveling salesman for the company, covering Kansas and Oklahoma until September, 1909, when he became local manager of the Wichita office. The Wichita branch is one of the best paying branches of the company. Mr. Reed was married on June 4, 1906, to Miss Elizabeth C. Fleming, of St. Joseph, Mo. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Page 865)
Harry Reeder, a prosperous farmer of Sedgwick county, Kansas, is a native of Quincy, Ill. He was born March 28, 1867, and is a son of Addison L. and Lucetta (Frazier) Reeder, who settled on a quarter section of land in Sedgwick county in 1885, but who returned to Missouri in 1890. Harry began his successful career by buying a flock of sheep and renting a section of land in Gypsum township, where he herded and cared for them. In 1904 he bought the southwest quarter of Section 23, in Gypsum township, and has been eminently successful, carrying on general farming and raising and feeding for the market cattle, hogs and horses. He is a Democrat in political belief and is a member of the Derby Lodge, No. 112, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. In 1890 he married Miss Edith Sealock, a native of Indiana, and a daughter of Mr. D. T. Sealock, who settled in Sedgwick county in 1879.
Of two children born to Mr. and Mrs. Reeder the elder, Lee, died in 1906, and Ray is now (1910) fourteen years of age. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Page 865)
Perry G. Rickard, of Wichita, Kan., is a native of New York state, where he was born on February 3, 1848. His parents were Lorenzo and Lucy (Parker) Rickard, the former a native of New York and the latter of Ireland. The elder Rickard was a blacksmith by trade and moved to Wisconsin in 1850 with a family of three children, and died in that state in 1883. Perry G. Rickard attended the public schools of Wisconsin until his sixteenth year, and then worked as a laborer on the farm until 1870. He was then living in Neosha county, Kansas, and in the same year he came to Sedgwick county and homesteaded a farm in Section 4 of Kechi township. Mr. Rickard is a member of the G. A. R. He enlisted in the army in 1864 for 100 days' service in Company K, Thirty-ninth Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. The regiment was equipped at Madison, Wis., and did guard duty for its length of service. After Mr. Rickard's discharge he returned home to Wisconsin and re-enlisted in Company H, Fifty-first Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. This regiment did guard duty and protected Government property. In 1865 the regiment was discharged at Madison. In 1873 Mr. Rickard was married to Miss Carrie L. Rhodes in Sedgwick county, Kansas. Mrs.. Rickard came West with her parents to Sedgwick county in 1873. Four children have been born of this union, all of whom are now living. They are: Ralph L., born September 14, 1875; Charles W., born October 9,1877; Bessie E., born September 19, 1885, and Ethel A., born June 29, 1888. Since the residence of Mr. Rickard in Sedgwick county he has held all the minor official positions of his township. He is a Republican in politics and active in the interests of his party. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 865-866)
True B. Richardson, superintendent of the Red Star Mill and Elevator Company, of Wichita, Kan., is a pioneer miller of Wichita and southern Kansas. Mr. Richardson is a native of Peoria, Ill., where he was born December 27, 1856. His parents were William and Mary (Dwyer) Richardson, natives of Hamilton, Ohio. Both moved to Illinois with their parents when young. William Richardson died at the close of the Civil War at the age of fifty-eight, and his widow died in 1900 at the age of seventy-four. True B. Richardson was the third child of a family of four, three of whom are living. Mr. Richardson was educated in the public schools of Peoria, Ill., and the Canton (Ill.) High School. He left school while in the senior class of 1875. During school vacations he obtained employment in the old Phoenix flour mill at Canton, and in this way began to learn the milling business. In 1877 he went to St. Louis, Mo., for the purpose of gaining a knowledge of milling machinery, and there learned to build the new process mill. Being fully versed in this line of the milling process, together with the newer methods, he started on a trip installing the new process mills in the state of Kansas. The first mill of the new process to be installed in the state was at Racine, where the old process was discarded for the new in the existing mill. Other mills followed this one, all of which were installed by Mr. Richardson, among them being the mills at Great Bend and Walnut Creek. In 1879 Mr. Richardson first came to Wichita and went with the Shelleberger mill, now known as the Imboden Mills, located on Douglas avenue where the Mahon Block now stands. In 1882 Mr. Richardson built the . Canal Roller Mills at Belle Plaine, Kan., and conducted this establishment as proprietor for thirteen years. In 1894 Mr. Richardson disposed of his interest in the Belle Plaine mill and moved to Wichita, and the following year started the first mill for the Howard Milling Company and was its superintendent four years. He then built the plant now occupied by this company on West Douglas avenue and was its superintendent for three and a half years, when failing health compelled him to take a much needed rest for recuperation. In 1905 J. E. Howard organized the Red Mill and Elevator Company, one of the gigantic enterprises of Wichita, and Mr. Richardson was chosen for its superintendent, which position he still holds. Mr. Richardson is a member of the Wichita Chamber of Commerce. Fraternally, he is a member of the Masonic order and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is a member of St. John's Episcopal Church. Mr. Richardson was married on April 8, 1882, to Miss Essie E. Farmer, daughter of Richard and Ann Farmer, pioneers of Wichita. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 866-867)
George T. Riley, druggist, No. 1101 West Douglas avenue, Wichita, Kan., was born in Illinois November 13, 1857. His parents were Larkin M. and Elizabeth (Gardom) Riley, the father being a native of Indiana and the mother of Pennsylvania. The parents came to Illinois in 1846 and spent the balance of their lives there. Both are now deceased. George T. Riley was educated in the public schools of his native town, Rileyville, the Elgin Academy and the Eldorado (Ill.) High School. He began his business career by clerking in a drug store at Gallatin, Ill., in 1877, and later took a course in pharmacy at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy, graduating in the class of 1881. In 1882 he came to Kansas, where he was employed in the drug business with his uncle, Samuel Gardom, at Council Grove, for a period of two years, when he returned to his native state of Illinois, continuing in the drug business until 1885, when he again came to Kansas. Here he was in the drug business at Wellsville for a year, and after a few months at Ravanna he located in Marion, where he remained for nine years. At Marion he first entered the employ of Taylor Riddell, and afterward became the partner of Mr. Riddell, under the firm name of Riddell & Riley. This partnership continued until 1895, when Mr. Riley withdrew from the firm and took a course in the Kansas Medical College. In the summer of 1896 Mr. Riley came to Wichita and purchased the West Side drug store of A. F. Rowe, and has since continued the same, enlarging as the trade of the growing city demanded. A postal station of the postoffice was established at his store in 1901. Mr. Riley is keenly alive to the interests of Wichita and all that tends to its onward development. He is treasurer of the West Side Commercial League, a member of the Presbyterian church, and fraternally is a member of the Masonic order, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Knights of Pythias and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. He was married on September 5, 1883, to Miss Mary A. Deans, daughter of David and Louisa Deans. From this union there has been issue three children, viz.: Roy M., Harry L. and Helen D. Riley. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 867-868)
William C. Robinson, one of the leading citizens of Mulvane, Kan., is a native of the dominion of Canada, where he was born in the province of Quebec on December 16, 1854. His parents were John H. and Jane (McDonald) Robinson, both natives of Quebec, where the elder Robinson died about 1865. His widow came to the United States and settled in St. Lawrence county, New York, where she died in 1870. William C. Robinson grew to manhood in St. Lawrence county, where his education was completed, after which he was engaged in the mercantile business with his elder brother, J. H. Robinson. He remained there until the spring of 1880, when he came to Kansas, where he entered the mercantile business in Mulvane in partnership with his younger brother, Thomas. The affairs of the firm prospered, and in 1887 the firm built the brick block in which Mr. Robinson's business is now conducted. Thomas Robinson died in the spring of 1889, and since that time William C. Robinson has been alone in the business. On January 9, 1900, Mr. Robinson was elected vice-president of the Mulvane State Bank, and on January 8,1901, was elected its president, which position he still holds. Mr. Robinson is also vice-president of the Mulvane Ice and Cold Storage Plant, which is incorporated with a capital of $15,000, and is treasurer of the Mulvane Mutual Telephone Company. Mr. Robinson is also interested in farming land, having 385 acres in Sumner county and 160 acres in Butler county. On July 1, 1880, he was married to Miss Margaret Shillinglaw, who was born in Scotland. Her father came to the United States when Mrs. Robinson was a child, and lived in Washington, D. C, and New York. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson have two children, William C, born in 1881, and Jane M., born in 1891. Mr. Robinson has served as mayor of Mulvane two terms. He is a Republican in politics. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 868-869)
Adolphus D. Russell, retired farmer and stock raiser and real estate dealer, of Mulvane, Kan., was born in Tuscorawas county, Ohio, on June 2, 1838. His parents were William R. and Charlotte (Waller) Russell. Mr. Russell, Sr., was born in Westmoreland county, Maryland, on March 9, 1812, and his wife was born in Sumerset county, Pennsylvania, on November 29, 1811. They were married in Cadiz, Harrison county, Ohio, on March 10, 1833, and their entire life was passed in Ohio, where Mrs. Russell died on January 5, 1847, and Mr. Russell, Sr., on December 18, 1851. Adolphus D. Russell remained in Ohio until January, 1863, when he enlisted in Company K, One Hundred and Twenty-eighth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, and served until his discharge, in June, 1865. After the war he returned to his home in Ohio, and in 1865 went to Illinois, where he farmed nineteen years. In 1884 he came to Kansas, locating in Sumner county, where he bought a farm in Sections 1 and 2, Gore township, where he lived until 1901, when he retired from farming and moved to Mulvane, where he engaged in the raising of Duroc Jersey hogs. He continued this until 1910. In February and March, 1910, he platted an addition to Mulvane of nine acres. On November 7, 1860, Mr. Russell was married to Miss Rachel Poulson, who was born in Cadiz, Ohio, August 14, 1840. She was a daughter of James and Maria (Brown) Poulson. Her father was born in Maryland and her mother was born in Donpanaha, Ireland, on February 22, 1808, being of Scotch and Irish descent. Mr. and Mrs. Russell have had six children, four of whom are living. Those living are: William, of Clarence, Mo.; Mrs. Alice Axtell, of Davidson, Okla.; Mrs. Anna Smith, of Corvallis, Ore., and Mrs. Nellie Dickinson, of Mulvane, Kan. In Tazewell county, Illinois, Mr. Russell served as township supervisor for seven years and on the board of trustees as ditch commissioner; in Sumner county, Kansas, he was township trustee, and in 1907-08 in Mulvane one of the council-men. He is one of the stockholders of the Farmers' State Bank of Mulvane. Mr. Russell is a member of Mulvane Lodge, No. 201, A. F. and A. M. He was a charter member of Hopedale Lodge, No. 203, A. F. and A. M., of Tazewell county, Illinois. In Iroquois county, Illinois, he was master of Sheldon Lodge seven years. Mr. Russell is a liberal in politics and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 869-870)
Thornton W. Sargent, a prominent member of the bar of Wichita, Kan., was born at Piketon, Pike county, Ohio, in 1859, and is a son of James and Lydia Sargent. After finishing his studies in the schools of his native town he entered the University of Michigan, where he was graduated with the degree of bachelor of arts in 1882. He then entered the law department of Columbia University, Washington, D. C. (now known as the George Washington University), and there received the degree of bachelor of laws in 1884. The following year he took a post graduate course and was admitted to the bar at Washington.
In 1886 Mr. Sargent settled at Wichita and began the practice of his profession, with an office at No. 124 North Main street, and soon built up a lucrative practice, becoming known as a safe and reliable counselor and successful advocate. His present office is at No. 412 Barnes building, and besides conducting a general practice, he is general counsel for the Farmers and Bankers Life Insurance Company. In 1889 Mr. Sargent was selected to give a course of lectures before the law classes of Garfield University. In 1893 Mr. Sargent married Miss Emily W., daughter of Dr. R. Wirth, of Columbus, Ohio. They have two sons, viz.: James Wirth and Thornton W. Sargent, Jr. (History of Wichita and Sedgwick County, Kansas: past and present, including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county; Chicago: C.F. Cooper & Co., 1910, Pages 870-871)
August J. Saur, druggist, of Wichita, Kan., better known as "Gus" Saur, has been longer in the business of dispensing drugs than any other druggist in Wichita. The District of Columbia is the place of his nativity, he having been born in the city of Washington on December 19, 1856. He is a son of the late Dr. L. Saur, well known in Wichita in the early days, and Mary Krauft. Dr. Saur came to Wichita in April, 1879, and soon afterward began the practice of medicine. August J. Saur followed his father to Wichita in September, 1879, and first started in the drug business between Topeka and Lawrence avenues on the north side of Douglas avenue, and there continued until April 1, 1880, when he removed to his present location, at No. 524 East Douglas avenue, and has since continued business successfully. Dr. Saur died in January, 1889, at the age of seventy. The history of the Saur family can be traced back for a period of 385 years, and while now distinctly German, was at an early date interwoven with the French. August J. Saur has one brother, George C. Saur, who was associated in business with him as clerk for a period of eleven years, but is now a resident of Hennesy, Okla., where he located in 1897. August J. Saur was educated in the public schools of Lansing, Mich., and early in life went to Chicago, where he began in business as a drug clerk with C. Herman Plautz, and continued with him until October, 1874, when he entered the employ of P. L. Milleman, and continued with him until he came to Wichita. Mr. Saur is a member of the Consistory, is a thirty-second degree Mason, a member of the Shrine, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Sons of Herrmann and the Eastern Star. He was married in 1889 to Miss Ida Redmond, of Minnesota, a native of Germany. Of this union two children have been born, Edith Beatrice and Hazel M. Saur. Pages 870 & 871)
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